“How the black bear may hold the secret to a cure for kidney disease”

Description

Chronic kidney disease effects more than half a million Americans and that number is continuing to grow. Join Dr. Ron Korstanje, an Associate Professor at The Jackson Laboratory, as he shares how research being done on black bears could provide insight into how to treat kidney disease in people during a virtual talk on Tuesday, July 21 at 7 p.m. on Webex with the Jackson Laboratory (JAX) and the Jesup Memorial Library. Korstanje is also the co-director for the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging at JAX.
 
Dr. Korstanje’s lab at JAX studies the genetics of kidney function and disease, particularly in the context of aging. A person’s kidney function naturally deteriorates as they age. When patients lose more than 85 percent of kidney function, they must undergo dialysis treatments to remove waste and excess water, maintain proper levels of chemicals including potassium and sodium, and control blood pressure. Dr. Kostanje’s lab has been studying black bears because when they hibernate, they do not urinate for the full time they are in hibernation like a person with serve kidney damage. However though the bears sustain damage to their kidneys, a bears’ kidneys appear to regenerate themselves, returning to normal function during the spring and summer. His lab has been working to sequence the RNA from bear kidneys to determine relative gene expression in the kidneys between spring, soon after the bears emerge from hibernation, and fall, before they return to their dens for the winter. Learn how this work could have an impact on humans in the future.
 
This talk is part of the Primary Source Speaker Series which is a partnership between the Jesup Memorial Library and the Jackson Laboratory which presents science talks for a general audience. This series highlights current research in a trusted and comfortable setting where questions may be directed to the primary source — the research scientists and the public library. This year’s series explores the science behind aging and the possibilities of regenerative medicine. These lectures will cover broad subjects including heart development and regeneration, the positive effects of sleep on the aging brain and dementia, and prospect of regenerative medicine to regrow kidneys effected by age.
 
Registration for this talk is required. To register email kchagnon@jesuplibrary.org or register online at jesuplibrary.org/event/korstanje by filling out the form.